Apparatuses are generally known in the form of a fork-lift truck equipped with a fork, and are traditionally used in the displacement of objects such as flower pots. These objects must be provided with an edge or protruding portion allowing it to be picked up between the teeth of the fork. The standard flower pot for instance comes to mind here which is embodied as a pot with a protruding portion.
In the displacement of objects it may be advantageous to change the arrangement of the objects, and it may sometimes be wished to place the objects further apart or closer together. When the above described apparatus is used in a plant nursery, it will be desired for instance to be able to place the plant pots wider apart so that the growth of the plants is enhanced.
Such an apparatus can be embodied for this purpose with flaps arranged on the teeth, as known from the Dutch patent application NL-A-89.02377. These flaps can be driven such that not all objects are set down simultaneously, but for instance one of two rows of objects are placed and the objects held on the fork by the flaps can be placed elsewhere. Objects can hereby be so placed wider apart, but the distance between the placed objects cannot here be adjusted as a variable.